Exposure
by Armitage374
Summary: What will happen to Josh McGrath if his secret life as Max Steel is suddenly exposed on nation wide television?
1. When something sticky hits the fan

Standard disclaimer:   
  
I don't own them, just borrowing them a little for this story. This Fan Fiction is done out of respect   
  
and I'm not making any money from it, so please don't sue. An original character does belong to   
  
me, as does the story itself.  
  
The following shows/animations had to suffer the temporary loan of characters and places:  
  
Star gate – SG1  
  
Breaking News  
  
Max Steel  
  
Archives:   
  
Seven of Nines Fan Fiction board, FF.net, Fan Domination, my own pages, anyone else just ask   
  
first.  
  
Feedback: Please send to: katjaboysen@lycos.com if other means are not available.  
  
Rating: G  
  
Type: Action, Drama, Crossover  
  
Authors Notes: Well, I was up WAY beyond normal bedtime, high on sugar and writing on one of   
  
my other stories as Max Steel turned up on the tape in my VCR (background noise).  
  
That sort of kicked off my warped muse and suddenly this weird concoction popped into my head.   
  
Max Steel isn't one of the shows I watch most (and when it happens it's mostly by accident), so   
  
sorry if I get a couple of details wrong.  
  
Secondly: There's a real good chance that someone else has written a story looking a lot like this   
  
one, but I hope that everyone understands that this is meant to be an original piece of work, not a   
  
copycat thing.  
  
Another thing: The SG-1 episode "Divide and Conquer" NEVER HAPPENED IN MY   
  
UNIVERSE! IT'S PART OF A DEVIOUS PLAN BY THE EVIL, EVIL POWERS THAT BE TO   
  
TAKE OVER THE WORLD AND IS ONLY A MASSHALUCINATION TO TRY TO TWIST   
  
OUR MINDS!!!!  
  
: Pants loudly and steps down from soapbox:  
  
Ok, on with the show while my muse is still warm on the idea:  
  
Summary:  
  
What will happen to Josh McGrath if his secret life as Max Steel is suddenly exposed on nation   
  
wide television?  
  
Exposure  
  
By  
  
Katja Boysen  
  
Denmark  
  
Josh was trying very hard not to fall asleep during Monday morning's biology class.  
  
It had been a very long, sleepless weekend, involving "Smiley", nerve gas, a bunch of hostages, a   
  
couple of overeager CNN-reporters and, no surprise there, Max Steel.  
  
"Smiley" had for some reason found it very funny to kidnap a bus full of kids, using them as a   
  
decoy from his real target, the UN.  
  
Add to that the fact that a couple of CNN reporters had found out about the entire thing, ending up   
  
almost sabotaging the rescue mission when they found out that he, or rather; Max Steel, was out   
  
there and you ended up with no time to sleep.   
  
That is if you, like Josh, had to do your homework as well.  
  
A chill ran down his spine as he remembered just how close it had been.   
  
The counter on that nerve gas canister had been only 10 seconds away from releasing the deadly   
  
toxin into the entire city.   
  
Millions would have died.  
  
And as usual he had overtaxed himself, leaving his energy supply exhausted, and him without   
  
disguise not to mention also deeply unconscious, only fractions of a second after he had dismantled   
  
the bomb.  
  
Rachel had gotten him back to N-Tek just in time.  
  
His ears were still ringing after his dad's lecture on the subject of being more careful.  
  
To top it all, "Smiley" had managed to get away again.  
  
But one of these days…  
  
"Mr. McGrath!" The teacher's high-pitched voice cut through his foggy mind like a warm knife   
  
through butter, ending his inner monologue effectively.  
  
"Yes, ms. Cooper?" Josh tried desperately to remember what the lecture had been about.  
  
"I would appreciate it if you listened once in a while in stead of daydreaming. God knows your   
  
grades aren't good enough as it is."  
  
Josh felt a slight blush creep over his face.   
  
Busted.  
  
And by the one teacher he could ever remember being afraid of.  
  
Scratch that: Terrified of.  
  
Not good.  
  
"Yes ms. Cooper."  
  
The rest of the very long 45 minutes he managed to stay awake.  
  
As the bell rang out and he went for his next class, he noticed the strange stares that both teachers   
  
and students outside the classroom were giving him.  
  
It was about then that he was ambushed.   
  
But not by one of the usual psychos.  
  
This time it was by a small army of reporters.  
  
"Mr. McGrath? What's it like to have superpowers?"  
  
"How long have you been working as Max Steel?"  
  
"I don't know what you are talking about!" Josh was close to panic. How had they found out? And   
  
why hadn't he been warned? Where was Berto?  
  
At that second Berto's voice cut through the babble from the multitude of reporters via his bio link.  
  
"Don't say anything, just get out of there, Hermano! Rachel is on her way with the car. Details later   
  
at N-Tek."  
  
Not good.  
  
Using as much of his powers as he dared without exposing himself as anything else than a normal   
  
teenager and throwing adamant denials around him with what he hoped was an honest voice, he   
  
pushed his way past the reporters, heading towards the parking lot, where Rachel was pulling up   
  
with screaming breaks in the same second.   
  
"Get in!"  
  
As soon as he had gotten in, she nailed the speeder to the floor, narrowly avoiding a news van from   
  
I24, which were pulling up.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" Josh had a nasty suspicion but hoped it wasn't true.  
  
"Those CNN reporters last night managed to get pictures of you as you took care of that bomb.   
  
Including the part about your disguise failing. And they also managed to somehow get out of the   
  
UN-building before the rest of the team and I arrived. They ran a story on it an hour ago. We didn't   
  
realise what was happening until the phones at the White House started ringing of the hook with   
  
questions."  
  
"Oh, God!" Josh ran his shaking hand through his hair. This was as bad as he thought.  
  
"Dad. Is dad safe?"  
  
Rachel gave a curt nod.   
  
"He's waiting at the alternative headquarters. We'll be going there now. And Laura and the rest of   
  
your close friends as well as their families are being moved to safe houses until we can get a handle   
  
on this situation."  
  
"Oh, God! Laura! Why wasn't I notified?" Josh was getting angry. This shouldn't have happened.   
  
Rachel took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.  
  
Josh was dealing with enough without her freaking out as well.   
  
That she could do when this nightmare had been taken care of.  
  
"We didn't know until 15 minutes ago. And Berto got on the computer as soon as he could."  
  
Drawing a shuddering breath, Josh managed to calm himself down.  
  
There was no reason to let it out on Rachel. It really wasn't her fault.  
  
"Sorry. I'm just worried." An attempt to give a smile wasn't too successful.   
  
"It's ok. We're all a little bit on edge right now." Rachel accepted the apology from the teenager.   
  
He had been through a lot since that accident with the Max-probes and had matured a lot.  
  
But he was still just a teen-ager at heart.  
  
"You are aware that Laura is going to kill you for holding secrets from her, right?"  
  
"Oh yeah…" This smaller worry got his mind at least temporarily of his other, more serious   
  
predicament.   
  
Laura and he might not be a couple anymore, but he still wanted her as a friend, even if he couldn't   
  
have her as a girlfriend, and it was likely that this could end the already strained relationship   
  
between them.  
  
N-Tek alternative HQ  
  
Somewhere in the Midwest.  
  
Jefferson looked at his old friend on the videophone; one of his few friends with enough clearance   
  
to know what N-Tek was really about.  
  
He was also in charge of the only other project in the world with just as much security on it as N-  
  
Tek.  
  
"Thanks for doing this, George. It really means a lot. And as things look right now, your project   
  
might be the only place where Josh can be just remotely safe and still feel like he accomplishes   
  
something. At least for the time being."  
  
General George Hammond, base commander at the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, gave a small   
  
smile.  
  
"It's a pleasure. Besides we can always use someone with as much resourcefulness as your son.   
  
Something I believe I told you when we discussed this contingency plan the first time."  
  
Jefferson allowed himself to relax a bit.   
  
"I'll tell him that he'll be transferred to Cheyenne as soon as he gets here. He and Dr. Martinez   
  
should arrive at your place in a couple of hours together with the necessary equipment. I'll leave the   
  
briefing of the project and it's purpose up to you. No one else here at N-Tek will know anything   
  
else than Josh and Berto are being shipped of to a safe house. I'll join Josh personally as soon as   
  
things calm down a bit and then we'll discuss the future."  
  
"That sounds like a plan. I'll inform the team he'll be joining and have maintenance make up room   
  
for the energy transfer machine and the other items in store at Area 51."  
  
"George thanks again. And look out for him, will you? He sometimes acts before he thinks."  
  
"I will. Don't worry; I'm placing him with my best team. Colonel O'Neill has dealt with that type   
  
of personality before. I'm looking forward to seeing you in person."  
  
With that the connection closed.  
  
Jefferson leaned back in his chair with a tired sigh.  
  
He had really hoped that it would never end up at this, but for now, Josh McGrath and Max Steel   
  
had to disappear for their own safety.  
  
He no longer had numbers for the times he had wished he hadn't allowed Josh to join N-Tek, but at   
  
the time, it had looked like the best idea.  
  
And even with hindsight, he realised that there had been no other solution.   
  
"Smiley" had known about Josh's accident and N-Tek had been able to provide some level of   
  
security towards the eminent danger from that point.  
  
Not to mention the fact that Josh would probably had found some other way of using all his   
  
newfound powers in the interest of the public good.  
  
His son was simply to big an idealist not to use this opportunity of making things better and this   
  
way Jefferson had been able to keep some level of control over the situation.  
  
At that moment the door burst open and both Berto and Josh more or less ran into his office.  
  
"Dad, what happened?"  
  
"Josh. Sit down, you too Berto. There are a few things you need to know."  
  
With that Jefferson started to brief his two of his top agents about what had gone wrong in the past   
  
24 hours and what could be done about it.  
  
Which was just about nada.  
  
Best Western Hotel.  
  
The Restaurant.  
  
Keith Fitzgerald looked at his cameraman, who was stuffing his face with some sort of curry.  
  
"You know, I've covered a lot of wars, terror attacks and general mayhem in my time as a   
  
correspondent both at I24 and other stations. But the look on that kid's, Josh, face…" Keith looked   
  
at his own food, a vegetarian plate, but couldn't eat it.  
  
The fear in the kid's eyes kept coming back to him, haunting him much to vivid in his opinion.  
  
"Hey, it's only a story. Don't get all emotional about it." His cameraman, Tom, gave a shrug and   
  
then continued eating.  
  
"Tell me, what do you think will happen to him now?" Keith felt a sudden anger emerge as he was   
  
once again faced with the cold-hearted approach to a story that most of the media business had.  
  
"Dunno. 15 minutes of fame, a movie and a couple of books. Nothing to complain about." Tom   
  
managed to get out between curry sauce, rice and meat.  
  
"And what about all those terrorists and criminals the kid has managed to piss of these last two   
  
years? Don't you think that maybe some of them are clapping their little, fat hands to get this   
  
information?" Keith's anger grew.   
  
He might not be one of the highest paid correspondents in the world, but he had managed to keep   
  
his integrity and put an honour into thinking further than the next news segment and Nielsen   
  
Ratings when putting together a story.  
  
"The Kid should have thought about that before going into the cloak-and-dagger business in the   
  
first place." Was the uncaring answer from the other side of the table.  
  
"Maybe he didn't have a choice." Keith shot back. He was really starting to dislike the other man.   
  
And he didn't want a cameraman in the first place. He was perfectly capable of doing his own   
  
shoots.  
  
"Don't get your pantyhose up in a knot. It's just a story. After that stunt you pulled in Sierra Leone,   
  
you shouldn't start rocking the boat. It could loose you your job."  
  
"And it could just loose Josh his life."   
  
With that Keith made a decision, stood up and threw the money for his uneaten food on the table,   
  
leaving the restaurant brimming from barely contained anger.  
  
Somehow he would find a way to help the kid out of a dangerous situation, which should never   
  
have arisen in the first place, had some of his colleagues thought about ethics instead of money.  
  
And in a world of fast money and loose morals, one of the last idealists of the world went looking   
  
for a young boy named Josh McGrath.  
  
TBC..  
  
Hope you liked it. There'll be coming more later, but the next chapter is being kept hostage until   
  
I've gotten at least 3 reviews on what you think about it. 


	2. New friends?

A/N:  
  
WOW!!! 5 REVIEWS IN LESS THAN A WEEK????  
  
I gotta be dreaming. That's more than even "price" has gotten in the amount of time it's been up!!!  
  
First for my reviewers: THANK YOU!  
  
And a couple of comments:  
  
Chase M. Dakota: I'll be doing my best to hail your request…  
  
Andrewjameswilliams:  
  
Thank you..And about the press: Oh yeah. Even the Danish press, whom used to be blessedly   
  
without that sort of thing, is starting to look like a bunch of a******* if you ask me.  
  
BTW: Just wait to you get to Jack's reaction to Berto. And Keith's reaction to Martouf (Go to   
  
www.jr-bourne.tk and have a look at the filmography; It'll give you a hint of what I'm talking   
  
about), if the two ever meet, (I'm still a bit uncertain about that one) should be quite interesting as   
  
well.  
  
About the "No anonymous review" thingy: I completely forgot that I had that option on. It was   
  
turned on in a preemtive strike as this piece of scum surfed around, making little and extremely rude   
  
comments via the review option and seemingly just for the sake of being rude. The coward did this   
  
anonymously. However since I haven't seen anything of the likes lately, I'll turn it back off   
  
(Actually I already have).  
  
Thanks for the review. And thanks for adding me to your favorites list.  
  
Sockenfresser42: Cute name. From Germany are we? Although chewing on a sock seems a little..   
  
eccentric.. And as previously said: I'll do my best to comply. Thanks for the remark  
  
Candydawn: Hope you'll enjoy this chapter just as much.  
  
HoneyB: Thanks. Both for the comments and the corrections on spelling. Right now there's a   
  
Danish interpreter running around with a very pissed fan fiction writer out to get him. Or her.  
  
  
  
Another note before starting today's chapter:  
  
I'm in the middle of moving 200 km away. That means I won't be able to update more than once a   
  
month until august. Hope you won't mind.   
  
But after that things should look better. Both for this story and my other stuff.  
  
Second: I just discovered, that there are going to be two Rachel's in this story: Rachel as in Josh's   
  
girlfrind and Rachel as in Rachel Glass, the main producer and second in command at I24 from   
  
Breaking News. So this is how it's going to work:  
  
Rachel= Josh's Rachel  
  
Rachel/I24= I24's Rachel unless in conversations.  
  
/Mental communication/ between host and symbiotes.  
  
{Translation from Ghoa'Uld}  
  
(Translation from other language)  
  
And now on with the show:  
  
Exposure  
  
Chapter 2  
  
By  
  
Katja Boysen  
  
Denmark  
  
"So, what do you think about this entire thing?" Berto asked over the intercom as the Hawke neared   
  
Area 51.  
  
"Oh come on, Berto. Aliens? A 10.000 year old device to send people to other planets? Snakes   
  
living inside people's brains? Someone in Pentagon obviously blew a fuse." Max retorted.  
  
"Well, the scientific report done by this Major Carter seems solid enough. The theory behind the   
  
wormholes certainly holds water.."  
  
A heavy sigh made it past Max's lips before he could successfully suppress it. Not again. Berto had   
  
been talking about that report 50 miles a minute since reading it.   
  
"Max? Are you asleep up there?" Berto had gotten suspicious when an uncharacteristic silence had   
  
erupted in the front seat.  
  
"Not quite. Unfortunately" The addressed party mumbled beneath his breath.  
  
"Well, you've got to think about it this way: With all the other warped stuff, which have happened   
  
to us over the last couple of years, what makes this impossible, Hermano? So far we are talking   
  
about cyborgs, killer laserbeams, crazy robots, people sucking electricity like others drink water and   
  
not to mention people turning into giant snakes." Luckily Berto didn't seem to have noticed   
  
anything else than the fact that Max was awake.  
  
"You've got a point there. I guess I'm just cranky about not being able to help containing the   
  
situation back at N-Tek. I feel kind of helpless."   
  
A beeping sound disturbed any kind of answer Berto would have made.  
  
"We're approaching Area 51. I hope they've remembered to leave one of their hangars open for us."  
  
Area 51  
  
A hangar.  
  
"This is silly." O'Neill fidgeted with the tie of his dress uniform. He hated that thing, but   
  
unfortunately the General had insisted on it.  
  
"What is silly, O'Neill?" Te'alc seemed to be totally comfortable. But that could be attributed to the   
  
fact that he, and Jonas Quinn as well for that matter, was wearing civics since they were not   
  
officially military personnel but civilian advisors.   
  
Or it could also very well be the fact that one would have a very hard time to break through that   
  
damned Jaffa stoicism of his.  
  
"I believe the Colonel is referring to fact that we are standing in a hangar waiting for an invisible   
  
aircraft." Jonas Quinn said quickly, not wanting to tempt faith.   
  
The Colonel had been short tempered since General Hammond had told they would be on stand-by   
  
until their new unit member had been cleared for active duty on the program.   
  
"We have encountered this kind of stealth technology before." Te'alc raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Yes, but that was onboard a Tok'Ra tel'tac in outer space. Not on a fairly normal aircraft on Earth.   
  
Although, if N'Tek developed these Max-probes, the fact that they could develop something like a   
  
cloaking device is quite possible. I wonder why they never made any attempts to market that. The   
  
possibilities in medical research alone would be"   
  
"Not nice." A male voice broke in from behind.   
  
And for the first time since a younger Samantha Carter first encountered, and went through, the Star   
  
Gate, she was silenced.   
  
Apparently their guests had not only entered the hangar but also landed without anyone noticing.  
  
As SG-1 got a good look at their new partners, Max and Berto got an equally good look at SG-1.  
  
Neither party really knew what to make of the other.   
  
To O'Neill, it looked as if Max could hold his own in a fight, but that could only be proven in   
  
combat.   
  
As for the other one.   
  
"Oh, for crying out loud. Not another one. And a teen at that." He muttered under his breath.   
  
"Not another what, Colonel?" Max's voice could have cut steel. His Max-enhanced hearing had   
  
easily picked up the low muttering.  
  
Berto gulped.   
  
This was not good.   
  
Usually Max only used this particularly tone of voice when he was pissed about something, and that   
  
something was usually a bad guy.  
  
And that usually meant huge fight and a substantial amount of collateral damage.   
  
Berto put his hand on Max's arm.  
  
"Easy, Hermano. Whatever the Colonel meant, I'm sure it's nothing seriously. Besides, we're here   
  
to work with these guys, not beat them up."  
  
Max gritted his teeth for a moment, then forced himself to relax. Berto was right.   
  
These people were not the enemy.   
  
He couldn't resist one final barb before letting the incident fade away though.  
  
"We might have to work with them, but that doesn't mean we have to like them."  
  
Sam could feel the little hairs on her neck standing on end.  
  
They were not 5 minutes into the partnership and the air was already thick with tension.   
  
Not the best way to start, if you asked her.  
  
And Jack's jaw seemed to be trying to press itself into his skull.  
  
Doing the only thing to she could think of to alleviate the situation she jumped in vocally, diverting   
  
everyone's attention to herself.  
  
"I'm Major Samantha Carter, this is Jonas Quinn, the one with the baseball cap is Te'alc and that's   
  
Colonel O'Neill. And incidentally, how did you hear that?"  
  
Max opened his mouth to answer, but Berto beat him to the punch.  
  
"It's the Max-probes. They enhanced his hearing. By the way: I'm Bertho Martinez, the big guy   
  
here is Max Steel. Are you the Major S. Carter who wrote the scientific report on the Star Gate?"  
  
"Yes, and I've read some of your stuff from NASA as well Dr. Martinez. Quite impressive. If you   
  
don't mind, there was something in that delayed experiment of yours I wanted to ask you about…"  
  
" THAT is what I meant about another one." O'Neill mumbled, this time directed directly to Max,   
  
backing the statement up with a suffering look as Carter and Berto went into what the SGC-  
  
personnel lovingly called the Carter-zone. Techno-babble extraordinaire.  
  
A half-smile showed on Max's face.   
  
"In that case, you're forgiven. Call me Max. Or Josh. Depending on the situation."  
  
He knew that feeling.  
  
O'Neill took the outstretched hand and shook it.   
  
"It's Jack when not in service."  
  
A loud beeping sound made itself present from Max's wrist.  
  
"Damn. I'm almost out of energy. I better power down until we get to base."  
  
He pressed a couple of buttons on what looked to be an oversized wristwatch and right in front of   
  
the astonished eyes of SG-1, the muscled Max Steel turned into an average teenage kid.  
  
"Josh McGrath to your service."  
  
Where Max had felt rather secure about the situation, Josh was just the opposite. But except from a   
  
nervous glimpse in his eyes, he managed to hide it well.  
  
He knew that they would accept Max, if not by anything else, then because of his special abilities.   
  
But would they be as forth coming about his more normal self?   
  
This was one of the reasons why he had never told Rachel.   
  
He dreaded her reaction.   
  
And that dread was also the reason why he had been pushing his conversation about the recent   
  
developments with her.  
  
He knew that sooner or late he would have to talk to her, but he would rather that it was later.  
  
"Nice to meet you kid. Let's get going, General Hammond can't wait to meet you two." O'Neill   
  
was rather impressed by the little show, but sensing the kid's nervousness, he choose not to   
  
comment on it.   
  
And if the General's estimates of the situation were correct, there would be plenty of time later.   
  
"How much energy do you have left? Should I get the transportable charger?" Berto was not taking   
  
any chances.   
  
Normally when Max powered down, it was because his reserves were close to depleted.   
  
"Don't worry. After Dads little lecture the last time I went flat, I adjusted the gauge to strike the   
  
alarm bells a little earlier. Besides, we're not on duty right now. I can wait 'till we get to the base."  
  
Berto gave him a suspicious glare over the frame of his glasses.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Deciding against checking the readings himself, Berto just nodded.  
  
5 minutes later they were outside the base, making their way towards Cheyenne Mountain.  
  
Richmond Inn  
  
Room 345, North Tower.  
  
"Rachel, what I'm telling you is, that no one at N-Tek are talking. It's like hitting a brick wall. But   
  
if I can work alone, I'll be more invisible against the rest of the crowd and I might get something. I   
  
got a couple of contacts, whom I can talk to, but only if I come alone."  
  
"Are you kidding? After scamming us about that guerrilla interview in Sierra Leone? I want   
  
someone there who can verify your story." Rachel/I24 was still pretty pissed about that one, he   
  
could hear. And he could understand it as well. I24 had a tight budget and the fact that he hadn't   
  
been able to deliver the promised interview had made the entire journey nothing but an unneeded   
  
expense.  
  
And then there was the fact that he had gone over her head to get his way.  
  
Not exactly a great way of making friends.  
  
"I understand that, but I'm not asking you anything except borrowing me the camera. I'll even pay   
  
the expenses myself in case this falls to the ground. "  
  
Rachel/I24 rubbed her eyes tiredly. It had just been one of those days.  
  
"Are you sure about this?"  
  
"Positive. There's something fishy about the entire thing. And if I'm right, not only can we get   
  
ratings for saving that poor kids life, we can also seriously affect CNN's reputation and score more   
  
viewers on their account." Keith went for the kill. If there was one thing he knew that producers   
  
valued more than ratings, it was the possibility to do it on a competing channels account.  
  
"Don't lay it on to thick, Fitzgerald. But you are right, if this turns out to be true, it could be the   
  
biggest story we've gotten so far, even beating that aircrash Mel was on."  
  
"So I get the camera then?" Keith couldn't help a crocked smile to appear on his lips.   
  
"Yes, you get the camera. And tell Tom to haul his ass back here. He's needed."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Don't mention it. It's a good story. But make sure it spins out."  
  
"I will. Bye."  
  
Rachel/I24 didn't get the chance to say goodbye to anything else than a deadline.  
  
And Keith went online, trying to track down a contact he had used before.  
  
A brilliant hacker naming himself the innocent name "Snowball".  
  
After all, when the purpose was good, weren't the means indifferent?.  
  
TBC. 


	3. Orders

A/N:  
  
I'm sorry, but I haven't had time to have a decent look at the reviews yet, but I promise I'll answer   
  
all of them next time.  
  
I did, however, notice that someone asked about Max turning into Josh when he ran out of power,   
  
and after revisiting one of my videoed episodes, I have to say that he doesn't. But this particularly   
  
incident is important to the situation at hand developing, so I'm exorcising my authors privilege of   
  
creative freedom by keeping it this way. Hope you don't mind.  
  
So before another wonderful problem turns up in my moving to another city, lets get this show on   
  
the road, I have to have it online tomorrow!  
  
--  
  
Exposure  
  
Chapter 3  
  
By  
  
Katja Boysen  
  
Denmark  
  
--  
  
The SAC-NORAD personnel stared as they saw the pair of young teens accompany Col. O'Neill   
  
and his crew to the lower levels of Cheyenne Mountain.  
  
Nobody really knew what was going on down below the 18th floor except the fact that weird types   
  
kept coming and going and that whatever machinery they had down there swallowed enough energy   
  
to keep Washington DC running for a year.  
  
But it was the first time they saw other teens except that kid Cassie go down there.  
  
Josh leaned closer to the colonel.  
  
"Do they always stare like that?" He was used to staring when at extreme sports competitions or   
  
when fighting as Max Steel, but this was eerie.  
  
Jack smiled wryly.  
  
"Yes. They haven't got a clue about what we are doing, but they would love to find out.   
  
Unfortunately for them they have standing orders not to talk to the inhabitants of the lower levels   
  
unless addressed by us and that leaves them hanging in limbo. And they don't like that at all.   
  
Especially since they all are supposed to have the highest security level in the country to work   
  
here."  
  
"Not high enough though." Sam grinned a bit, remembering a couple of occasions where various   
  
members of the SAC-NORAD personnel had tried to pump her for information.   
  
"Just be careful if anyone of them invites you out on a drink. They don't stop for anything."  
  
A low "Spoilsport" sounded from a radar operator at a nearby workstation, having Berto and Josh   
  
sending each other a knowing grin.  
  
Apparently this was a standing joke between the two groups of personnel.  
  
"Don't worry. That's NOT going to be a problem."  
  
10 minutes later and 20 floors deeper, Josh and Berto was standing in front of their new   
  
commanding officer, General George Hammond in the mission briefing room.  
  
"Mr. McGrath, Dr. Martinez, welcome to the SGC."  
  
"Thank you, sir."  
  
"Dr. Martinez, you will be interested to know, that the energy transfer machine have been   
  
assembled in one of the old missile testing silos and is working perfectly. We have also had the   
  
other items put there and are currently setting up the communications array in a corner of the gate   
  
control room. It's going to be a bit more cramped than you are used to due to a lack of physical   
  
space, but we need you to be close to the gate. I have also taken the liberty to inform our chief   
  
medical officer, dr. Janet Fraser, of the unique situation we have with you, Mr. McGrath. She's   
  
been given your medical files from N-Tek, but would like you to come down for a couple of   
  
additional test. Both of you will need to go down to a physical test anyway.  
  
I know, that you have not been out of contact with each other during missions before, but   
  
communications is only possible while the wormhole is open, so I need to know if this is going to   
  
pose a problem?"  
  
Berto and Josh looked at each other for a second.  
  
"No sir." Josh beat Berto.  
  
"Not if you give one of the other members a portable status display with connection to Max's Bio   
  
link. He has a tendency to overdo things a bit and someone need to tell him when to stop."  
  
Josh sent Berto a killer look, leaving the other teen completely unfazed.   
  
Hammond carefully held back a smile.   
  
Jefferson had told him of this small flaw of personality.  
  
Taking a quick look at Jack's face, he noticed the same fleeting emotion flash over the Colonel's   
  
face.  
  
Jack felt like he was looking at his own younger self.   
  
He too had been that way when he was a greenhorn: Too dedicated to stop to think about the   
  
consequences on himself.   
  
Only time and experience could tamper that.  
  
And it was his job to make sure the kid survived it.  
  
"I think we should give Carter the honour of that task, sir. She's the scientist after all."   
  
"Good idea. Dr. Martinez and Mr. McGrath are to go through a series of tests before we can let   
  
them loose on the universe, some here at the SGC, some at Alpha Site with the Tok'Ra and the   
  
Jaffa Rebellion."  
  
"Sir, is that wise? The chances of there still being traitors at the Alpha Site is pretty big considering   
  
the amount of new arrivals to the Jaffa Rebellion, even if we did manage to stop the last infiltrator."   
  
Hammond nodded.  
  
"I know major, but ever since the incident with us having to shoot Anise at the treaty signing, things   
  
have been tense with the Tok'Ra, even with the help of your father to mediate. We need to show   
  
them a sign of good faith. And after reading the reports, I have come to the conclusion that we can   
  
only get a realistic scope of Mr. Steel's resources by testing up against a Tok'Ra since his powers   
  
far exceed that of a non-blended human being. It will also give us a good idea of how he can hold   
  
up against a system lord or pharaoh in close combat. Which is also why Te'alc will be in charge of   
  
his training here on base."  
  
"Yes Sir." Te'alc's voice betrayed no emotion what so ever as he agreed to the assignment, but Josh   
  
suddenly felt very small.   
  
He had a feeling this was going to hurt before it was over.  
  
"SG-1 will be on stand-by until the testing is over and our new arrivals can go active."  
  
A series of "Yes Sir" went through the room even if Colonel O'Neill's sounded a bit hesitant.   
  
"I believe Dr. Fraser is expecting the two of you. Dismissed."   
  
As the General left the room, the last thing he heard was the voice of Colonel O'Neill.  
  
"I'll take you down to Dr. Needles."  
  
A very nervous Berto asked:  
  
"Dr. Needles?"  
  
"Don't worry, you'll know what I mean before long…"  
  
And then the door slammed shut behind the General.  
  
--  
  
Somewhere in an alley.  
  
Midnight.  
  
--  
  
Keith looked at his watch once more.   
  
Snowball was more than 1 hour late.  
  
And that was not a good sign.   
  
A small scraping sound had him turning for the other end of the Alley.  
  
Apparently a false alarm.  
  
Again.  
  
Deciding that enough was enough, he turned to walk back to his car as a voice suddenly whispered   
  
out of the dark.  
  
"Easy, Fitzgerald. I had to make sure you were alone."  
  
Keith had been in many dire situations in Sierra Leone, Iraq and the other hotspots of the worlds.  
  
But he had never been closer to a heart attack than now.  
  
"Gee, Snowball, do you have to do that?!" Turning towards the voice, he bit back a sudden urge to   
  
grab the kid by the throat and throttle her, genius or not.  
  
"I'm sorry, but it was just to tempting." The little imp smiled back. Black hair and a heavy Goth-  
  
make-up made her look older than her 16 years.  
  
"Anyways, I got the intell you wanted. It wasn't easy though. Those guys have more ICE than the   
  
Pentagon." She pulled out a folder from somewhere under her trench coat and handed it to Keith.   
  
He had helped her out when the Mob had gotten a little bit too interested in her work and she owned   
  
him big time.   
  
But she wasn't going to show how much he had grown on her during the shot time she had known   
  
him.   
  
"Your boy is locked up at Cheyenne Mountain, but I haven't been able to figure out exactly why   
  
there. The rest of his crew is placed at ordinary safe houses under the guard of the Feds. I'm still   
  
digging at the Cheyenne Mountain computers, but that thing have been programmed by someone   
  
almost as smart as me and that makes it a bit harder than usual."  
  
"Thanks. At least this will give me a start. Let me know when you got the rest. And Snowball, I   
  
want you to be careful. I don't want to visit you at Hansen Island."  
  
Snowball felt a shiver as Keith mentioned the government nuthouse where everyone, who knew too   
  
much were placed.  
  
"And I don't want to end up there. Don't worry, I'll be careful. Mother." A crocked grin flashed at   
  
Keith as she turned around to leave. One of these days she would have to find a way of getting to   
  
know that hunk a bit better.  
  
Keith's voice reached her as she turned the corner.  
  
"And one thing more."  
  
She paused.  
  
"Goth doesn't do anything for you."  
  
Grinning widely, she disappeared into the night.  
  
Yup, one of these days.  
  
After all, she already had his address.  
  
Keith walked back to his car.  
  
Next stop Cheyenne.  
  
TBC. 


End file.
